We Are One
by Tumblebrutus
Summary: This is a story about Coricopat & Tantomile as kittens. After the death of their mother Coricopat has to somehow keep his twin going and help her deal with what's happened... xx


_It was cold now. Rain had started to fall, causing smoke to curl up from the remnants of the old warehouse as the cold water hit the hot ashes. Apart from the smoke dancing in the wind, nothing moved any more and the ruins were silent as a tomb. Only one small kitten remained sat amongst the debris. Silent tears were sliding down her face as she huddled over an unmoving shape on the floor._

Tears were still running down her face and dripping onto the floor. She didn't even bother to wipe them away. The kitten hadn't moved ever since her brother had brought her to this place three days ago. She had obediently let him drag her into this strange den and had allowed him to push her onto the pile of blankets he had made into a bed for her, but she hadn't slept. All she had done was sit staring out over the docks at the open sea beyond. Silent and unmoving, she had ignored all his attempts to make her eat or sleep. She no longer wanted food, she no longer needed sleep. The thought of eating turned her stomach, the idea of sleeping terrified her. It was easier to sit, sit and do nothing.

The alley was dark. Buildings towered up on either side, ugly buildings with smashed windows and broken doors. The shattered glass protruded from the window frames like broken teeth and the rotting doors creaked as they swung in the wind on rusty hinges. The front gardens could no longer be described as gardens. Rotten fences were tumbling down around them, rusty barbed wire towered in tangled heaps on top of what was left of the fences and the decaying plants emitted a foul, almost sweet stench, that would turn the strongest of stomachs. Rubbish spilled out of overflowing bins, some of which had been knocked over and had spilled their contents all across the alley, making walking almost impossible. Broken glass from smashed street lamps and bottles littered to floor, occasionally catching the light and glinting like a thousand miniature suns, if any light ever made it down into the disgusting street. In the middle of this horrible place stood a young kitten.

Coricopat picked his way slowly through the rubbish, trying to avoid cutting his paws on any of the broken glass. His fur was matted and stained with dirt, ash and blood. One of his ears was torn and still trickled blood. His paws were covered in foul smelling mud and filth off the vile streets. His claws were broken and worn down and his eyes were still red from the smoke and from crying. Coricopat was now barely recognizable as the smart young kitten he had once been.

Since the fire he hadn't had time to clean his fur or look after himself properly. After finding his sister he had been forced to find a new home for them, then to search for blankets to keep them warm and prevent them from freezing to death. They had needed water, but it had taken Coricopat the best part of a day to find something he could carry water back to the den in. It was a small bucket, that he could just about drag if he only filled it half full. Then, on the brink of collapsing from exhaustion, he had still been forced to find food for himself and his little sister. For two days he had tried hunting mice without success until hunger had forced him to give up and scavenge rubbish out of bins instead. It tasted foul, but at least it was edible.

As he walked the young tom wondered how it had come to this. They had had so many plans, so many nice things they had been going to do... And now all of those things were no longer possible. He felt as if something wonderful had been unfairly snatched away from under his nose; like a kid at Christmas that discovers all the presents it was eagerly awaiting never arrived and is left with nothing. Nothing. Despair filled the heart of the poor, lonely kitten. Nothing was exactly what he had been left with. His home was destroyed, his family broken and his twin sister unable talk to him. An unbearable anger welled up inside him, drowning out the despair. He wanted to shout, to scream, to destroy things and to rage at the cruel world that had taken everything from him. With a ferocious snarl he pounced at a nearby rubbish bin knocking it over with a deafening clang. Rubbish spilled everywhere, littering the already revolting pavement. A savage pleasure filled the kitten and he launched himself at another bin, then another, wanting only to destroy something, to tear it apart, to wreck it, to make something pay for what had happened to him.

A sharp pain in his paw brought him back to his senses. In his rage he had failed to look where he was going and had stepped on a razor-sharp shard of broken glass. It had gone right up into his paw, cutting it badly. Coricopat winced and bent his head to pull out the glass. How could he have been so stupid?! What was he thinking?! Angry with himself now, he tossed the blood covered glass to one side and began to clean the wound. He couldn't afford to let himself go to pieces like that! Thinking rationally, he knew that in life things didn't always go the way you planned and you just had to make the best of what you got. Falling apart was not going to help anyone! He had been selfish. He had Tantomile to think of. She needed him. As her older brother it was his responsibility to look after her and to make sure she was alright. He had to be brave for her!

By the time he had cleaned the wound the shadows were lengthening and the sun was setting behind the grimy houses. An icy wind had got up and without the warmth of the sun it was getting rather cold outside. It was time to be getting back to their den, Coricopat decided, struggling to his feet. Gingerly, he tested the injured paw, putting a little weight on it, to see if it would hold him. It did, so he bent and scooped up the tin of sardines he had been carrying. He hoped they would persuade Tantomile to eat something. Sardines were her favourite and he was starting to worry about her. What if she continued refusing to eat and just faded away? What if she never recovered from the shock of what had happened? What if... Coricopat pulled himself up short. That sort of thinking wasn't helping anyone, any more than raging at dustbins was. He needed to get home. With a sudden decisiveness the kitten limped off in the direction of his home and his twin sister.

_The room was entirely filled with dancing flames and rapidly thickening black smoke. The flames crackled and snapped in front of her, reaching their burning claws out towards her, snatching at her fur, at her tail. She tried to scream, but the thick black smoke choked her when she tried to take a breath. The flames were closing in on her from every side, barring her way and preventing her escape. It was becoming unbearably hot and the acrid smoke was burning her mouth, nose and throat. The door, impossibly far away at the other side of the room was engulfed in a blaze of red and gold fire. _

_It was too late to escape. She had missed her chance. _ Tantomile shuddered and shrank back into the blankets slightly. She felt her throat closing up, felt the choking sensation again. The taste of the smoke was still in her mouth. She could still hear the popping and crackling of the flames, coming closer and closer... The kitten began to shake with terror.

From outside Coricopat caught sight of his twin shaking with fear. He quickened his pace, even though it made his injured paw smart and sting, and jumped up next to her, dropping the sardines and snuggling up against her. "Tantomile! Don't be scared! I'm here! You're safe!" He gently began to lick her fur clean. "Ssh, I'm here now. Don't worry." He felt her relax slightly and the shaking slowly subsided. "I'm here."

Unsure of what to do or say next, Coricopat just rested his head on Tantomile's shoulder and thought. He needed her to talk to him. More than that, she needed to talk to him. How else was she going to get better? She would just continue crying and sitting and not doing anything, until... He stopped himself before he could finish that particular thought. Better turn his mind to more practical matters: how was he going to persuade her to talk to him? How could he help her if he didn't even know what had happened? What if he made it worse by asking her to remember that night? Coricopat found himself wishing he was older and wiser. How was he supposed to know how to help Tantomile? He'd never comforted anyone before, he didn't know how! Frustration rose inside him. He didn't even know how to help his own twin!

That was when it struck him. He might not know what to say or do with anyone else, but Tantomile was his twin. He knew her better than anyone, better than he knew himself! If anyone could help her it was him.

Coricopat took a deep breath: "Tantomile! Talk to me. I know it doesn't seem like it now but it will make it better. I promise. You have to trust me!" As he spoke, he gently pulled her round to face him. "Please!" Ever so gently he licked her nose. "It'll make it better, I promise," he repeated.

Slowly, very slowly her eyes rose to meet his gaze. "You'll hate me," she whispered under her breath, "I can't." And her head sank down again, so her chin rested on her paws.

"I could never hate you!", Coricopat hissed, outraged. Calming his voice slightly he tried again: "Whatever happened, I could never hate you. Whatever you did, I'll always love you. You're my twin! I'll always stand by you no matter what!"

The little queen shook her head. "If you knew what I'd done you wouldn't say that. You'd never want to see me again!" She noticed the disbelieving look her brother was giving her and held his gaze, willing him to understand, "don't you see? It's all my fault, Coricopat, it's all my fault." And with that she turned her head away from her brother and tears began to slide down her cheeks once again.

Impatience grew in Coricopat's mind, but he batted it aside and forced himself to remain calm. "No, Tantomile. It's you who doesn't understand. I'd never leave you or hate you or anything like that. No matter what happens, we're still twins. We belong together. Nothing can change that, don't you see!? I love you more than anything and I want to help you. But you need to let me! Please! Just tell me what happened!"

For a long while Tantomile sat turned away from Coricopat in silence. Eventually, very quietly she began to talk. "You were there. When the fire started and she told us to get out..." Her voice failed her.

_It was the dead of night, not a sound to be heard. The three cats lay curled up in a pile of warm blankets in an old storage cupboard. Two of them were sound asleep. The third, a little queen-kit was not. She had toothache and found it impossible to get to sleep, no matter how hard she tried. She had been lying awake for hours, listening to the noises of the city at night. _ _Suddenly, she sat up, ears pricked. She had heard a noise that wasn't meant to be there, the sound of the warehouse door creaking open. Frozen with terror the young cat listened. The sound of paws crossing the main warehouse and approaching the cats' hiding place was clearly audible. Tantomile knew what she should do. She should wake the others, sound the alarm, but she couldn't. She was too afraid, unable to make a sound or so much as move a muscle. _ _A sound like running water came from just outside the door, followed by the sound of a match being struck. Light flared up outside the cupboard and silhouetted a figure on the wall, the figure of a tall, slim, hairy, unkempt tom cat. Tantomile felt her blood run cold. He had come. Macavity!_

She could feel Coricopat's paw resting on her shoulder, his body snuggled close to hers. He was reassuring her, telling her not to be afraid, he was there with her. Nothing would hurt them now. She was safe. Softly, Tantomile began to talk again: "You got out. You went with her. I couldn't. I was scared. I was left behind."

_Up ahead she could see the other two. They were running, desperately trying to outrun the flames that threatened to engulf them. She had been told to stay with them, but she had seen the fire. Her paws had refused to obey her, she had been frozen to the spot. Now it was too late. They had gone, still being chased by the cruel, merciless flames. The room was entirely filled with dancing flames and rapidly thickening black smoke. The flames crackled and snapped in front of her, reaching their burning claws out towards her, snatching at her fur, at her tail. She tried to scream, but the thick black smoke choked her when she tried to take a breath. The flames were closing in on her from every side, barring her way and preventing her escape. It was becoming unbearably hot and the acrid smoke was burning her mouth, nose and throat. The door, impossibly far away at the other side of the room was engulfed in a blaze of red and gold fire. It was too late to escape. She had missed her chance. _

"The room was full of fire and smoke and I couldn't breathe or move. I thought I was going to die," Tantomile gasped, "it was horrible. I was so afraid. I'd given up. But then she came back. She came back to find _me. _If I hadn't stopped, if I'd just gone with you it would never have happened! She would still be safe! It's all my fault!" The kitten broke down and sobbed.

_The beautiful black queen leapt back through the flames. "Tantomile! Come with me!" She grabbed Tantomile in her jaws and whirled round, sprinting back towards the doorway and safety. The flames burned them both, singeing their fur and causing Tantomile to cry out in pain. By some miracle they reached the door and the queen put her kitten down. "Run!" The pair sprinted across the huge warehouse building. Tantomile was running ahead of her mother, she heard a terrifying crashing, that sounded like a million bottles being smashed and a million bins being kicked over all at once, behind her. The young cat couldn't look round. She was frightened and safety was just ahead, she was focussed on reaching the door. _

"When I reached the door and looked back I couldn't see her. She wasn't behind me any more. I didn't know what to do and I couldn't find you. I waited there until the fire went out. Then I went back. I found her, Coricopat, I found her. It was all my fault. And now you'll hate me! How can you ever forgive me?"

Coricopat shook his head and rested it on Tantomile's shoulder. "No you didn't, you idiot. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything about it."

His sister sniffed and wiped her eyes. "But it was! If I hadn't been such a coward... I miss her so much." Her bottom lip trembled.

"I don't think you're a coward," Coricopat interrupted, "I think you're really brave, just maybe not with fire. Everyone is afraid of something, you know." He pushed the sardines over to his sister. "Here, eat these. You must be starving." After watching her take a few mouthfuls he said: "I miss her, too. But remember what she used to say? She always said she'd always be with us. Maybe she still is. Maybe she's watching us from somewhere."

This thought comforted Tantomile a great deal. "I'm sure she'd be so proud of you. You've looked after us both so well. I don't understand how you managed it." She lapsed back into silence and took another bite of fish.

Coricopat shrugged. "I did it for you. You needed me. You're my family. Look over there." He pointed to where the sky met the sea far on the distant horizon, "you never see the earth and sky apart. They belong together. So do we. Nothing can change that." He became practical again. "We need to look out for each other. Surviving out here on our own will be hard. We're really going to need to work together. I've got a feeling our journey has only begun."

Tantomile nodded. "Thank you, Coricopat. I'm not scared any more." She snuggled up against him. Together they sat looking out of their den watching the sun rise above the ocean, staining the water a brilliant orange and bathing everything in it's radiant glow, chasing away the few remaining shadows. Simultaneously both twins whispered: "We are one."


End file.
